The DC Comics Time Capsule: October 1961

Julius Schwartz wrote:These two popular heroes(Superman and Batman) have appeared in so many other DC magazines that we thought it would be more appropriate to play up the other members.

I never had any problems with the decision to downplay Superman and Batman in the JLA for precisely that reason. I was always much more interested in the other heroes because of the overexposure of Superman and Batman on the newstands. I wondered why Green Arrow and J'onn J'onnz didn't have their own titles. And I eagerly snatched Brave & the Bold off the stands when those two underused heroes teamed up in the issue.

At the time, while I noted that Superman and Batman were getting curtailed from the JLA stories, I didn't think overmuch on what reasons might lie behind it. I did find it a quaint touch, though. Fox had to work it very carefully, so as to give the readers the impression that the Man of Steel and the Masked Manhunter were, indeed, full-fledged JLA members---not honoraries or "friends"---yet still find a way to sideline them.

Sometimes, it worked, and sometimes, it didn't. My favourite trick was the one Fox pulled in "Case of the Stolen Super-Powers", from The Brave and the Bold # 30 (Jun.-Jul., 1960). When the League gathers to handle the case, Superman and Batman are right there, getting their assignments, along with the rest of the members. You get the idea that, this time, the World's Finest Team is actually going to have an active part in the adventure.

But Fox keeps the action flowing and, before you know it, everything comes to a head on Professor Ivo's yacht. The case is over before Superman and Batman have a chance to get involved. It doesn't dawn on you until the Flash says, "We better signal Superman and Batman that the threat is over!"

One of my favorite comic-book moments occurs in The Brave and the Bold # 29, wherein the Justice League of America meets the "Challenge of the Weapons Master" -- Xotar, the archcriminal from A.D. 11,960, who commands the formidable giant robot Ilaric. Having fought J'onn J'onnz, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern to a standstill through the first four of this epic's five parts, Xotar unleashes his Illusion-Maker on our heroes and is clearly about to win the day. Then Superman (who has been traveling through time on some unspecified mission) shows up like the U.S. Cavalry and just pulverizes Ilaric. In 1960 the Man of Steel so rarely got to go at adversaries with both fists that you know he must have loved every second of this little set-to.

Jack Schiff's sci-fi titles may not have possessed the polish of Julie Schwartz's stable, but what they lacked in sophistication they made up for in surrealism.

Take for example the story "The Three Who Changed" in HoM #117, with art by George "Inky" Roussos. It chronicled the bizarre tale of a trio of strange transformations... a man becomes a human acetlyne torch... another becomes a human grasshopper... but the topper is when an electrician becomes... well, see for yourself:

Hmmm... so maybe that's what Timothy Leary meant by "turning on"!

Next: A romance smackdown?

.

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant

As a kid I compared the likes of DC's House of Mystery and Unexpected to Atlas' Tales of Suspense and Strange Tales. I referred to the former as the comics with the bad stories and good art, and the latter as the comics with the good stories and the bad art.

But the art of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko was indeed crude looking partially because of their very prominent style characteristics compared to the polished DC house style. That's the way they looked to me in the early sixties anyway.

Once again, a month full of beautiful DC covers. No one drew the Superman "S" the way Curt Swan did. The Dick Van Dyke Show is still one of the funniest sitcoms on North America tv, even after 50 years.

Sorry I am in thebackyard tending the grill with a glass of.. Well you get the idea, so I can not quote which issue, but I remember DC made it clear the big two would have a limited involvement due to over exposure.

That's right - no book is going to be overlooked this month - not even the romance mags!

There's no way I could do these justice like Jacque Nodell (who BTW if plans hold, will be back in December to review another romance issue for us!), but I'll give it a shot!

In the few romance stories I've read from this era, I often wind up thinking the girl could do better. Most of the guys come across as drips, even by the standards of the early 60s IMO.

Take for example, this one from the story "It's Only You" from Secret Hearts #76 (the artist is unidentified in the GCD but I'd guess Mike Sekowsky and/or Bernard Sachs):

Naturally, this gorgeous redhead named Trudy falls for this stiff named Greg Towers, who we're told is the most eligible man in town. He utters every trite line in the book and sweeps her off her feet, and by the middle of the story I wish she'd just haul off and smack this guy.

But no, they'll break up, and just when you think she'll walk away, they'll make up and live happily ever after, right?

Wrong!

It's nice to see that not all of the romance stories ended up with fairy tale endings, and that there was indeed an occasional slap across the face!

Coming up: Professor Lewis Lang - Scientist or Psychopath? You Be the Judge!

.

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant

I mean, there's a lot to chew on here... from Professor Lang's calling his daughter an idiot, to hovering over her backside with a hair brush (!!), to systematically squashing every ounce of enjoyment out of her life.

This just strikes me as wrong... even by 1961's standards. I kept waiting for Mort to tell us that the Professor was really an alien in disguise, or he was under the influence of an evil mastermind... anything!

I'm curious to hear the reaction from those of you who first read this story back then - did it strike a sour note, or am I being too judgmental here?

Still to come: A love story 2 years in the making!

.

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant

1961 was the year the concept of the “imaginary story” really blossomed throughout the Weisinger fiefdom. Earlier in the year, a series of imaginary tales had run in Lois Lane, relating the trials and tribulations of the married Mr. & Mrs. Clark Kent. This was followed by the grand-daddy of all imaginary novels “The Death of Superman” in September.

The first imaginary Jimmy Olsen story was in JO #56 and it was called “The Son of Jimmy Olsen”. This story followed the adventures of Jimmy Olsen, Jr., the offspring of Jimmy & Lucy Lane. But I think it’s interesting that this tale began with the couple already middle-aged with a grown-up son (as if relating the actual fruition of a Jimmy & Lucy romance was too unbelievable even for an “imaginary” story ) and it ended on a semi-tragic note.

Ironically, the very next issue would see a very different brand of “imaginary” storytelling, with a far different outcome:

Many years ago, I wrote a series of reviews about the charming series of appearances that Supergirl made in Jimmy
Olsen over a period of 2 years, culminating in this imaginary story. I thought that they had been lost in the ether, but apparently they still can be read over here if anyone's interested:http://superman.nu/smf/in...cc8f521&topic=356.0;wap2

I don't think I could wrap it up any better than what I said back then:

It’s easy to see why JO readers loved this story. Their hero gets the girl of his dreams, who adores him – the fact that his love happens to be the most powerful woman on the planet is just icing on the cake! And Supergirl, for her part? Well, let’s look at Jimmy’s competition at the time – Dick Malverne? Jerro the Mer-boy? And I won’t even mention the rather disturbing relationship she had with Biron, the centaur who was transformed into Comet the Super-Horse!

In reading this as a series of stories, this final tale brought the Jimmy/Supergirl relationship to its most satisfying conclusion for both, and as I stated earlier, would not have worked IMO as a stand-alone story. And perhaps they had to leave it there, having said all there was to say. The pair would never encounter each other romantically again. Yes, there would be other sporadic appearances, but Supergirl would go on to be revealed to the world 2 months later, and perhaps knowing her to be his pal’s cousin would subsequently serve as a deterrent to any romantic advances from young Olsen.

It’s tantalizing to imagine what could have been. But there’ll always be this story to memorialize the path not taken.

Next: An Un-Hip Hope?

.

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant

As the 60s wore on, Bob Hope became increasingly more un-hip to the younger generation. Not just in the real world, but in his own comic book.

Case in point, this scene from BH #72 where he encounters a group of beatniks:

Coming up: The Blackhawks in a hot spot!

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant

To my recollection, I never never ever opened a Bob Hope comic - nor Jerry Lewis, for that matter. So it is with great pleasure that I see how well the writer captured the Hope persona. I can hear Bob's voice saying the dialogue.

I must admit I never missed a Jerry Lewis or Bob Hope comic from mid-1960 until near the end of the run (I even liked Super-hip in BH, and the witch, nephew, and the Camp-Wack-a-Boy stories (with the Director Hal (?)) were just too funny. Really, when I had just about dropped all DC titles in the later 60's, I kept buying these and Sugar and Spike (up until late 1969).

I also loved the JL stories with the monsters, and still remember Famous Monsters (or was it Monster World?) touting issue #83 with the monsters cover.

I haven't had much to say about Blackhawk in these time capsules, because honestly I haven't found much to comment on in their stories.

Suffice it to say by 1961 the group had drifted far from its WWII combat roots. I'm not sure whether this shift occurred during the later Quality years, or only after Schiff took over, but they were having a lot of adventures battling aliens and other-worldly menaces, or battling masterminds such as "Mr. Solar" in this month's issue.

Well, at least they had nice Dillin & Cuidera art going for them...

Next: More from Moreira

.

"As for contentment, that is a myth. Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries. Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!" -Merlin to Prince Valiant